IDP Progressive Caucus Endorses Kim Weaver for Congress

Fourth district candidate Kim Weaver received the official endorsement of the Iowa Democratic Party this morning. The following is a press release received by Progressive Voice of Iowa from IDP Progressive Caucus Chair Jason Frerichs:

The Iowa Democratic Party Progressive Caucus is proud to announce that we are endorsing Kim Weaver to represent Iowa’s Fighting 4th District. Kim will be an excellent representative in congress. She is the most progressive candidate running and she shares our values.

Kim believes that public colleges and universities should be affordable for everyone. She believes that having an educated work force is the key to building a strong middle class and facing the technology challenges of the 21st century. She has presented a plan that allows students to earn credits while still in high school. She understands that student loan debt is a national crisis and favors policies that would help alleviate and in some cases allow students to graduate without any debt.

Kim believes that we have an obligation to make sure our seniors are well cared for. She proposes that we do this by eliminating wage gap on income for Social Security. Her plan would expand Medicare to cover long-term care options. Kim’s plan calls for the immediate renegotiation of prescription drug prices while also increasing the availability of home care so that we can keep seniors in their homes for as long as possible.

Kim believes in immigration reform and providing undocumented immigrants a pathway to legal status. According to the Farm Bureau, “there are approximately 6.7 million immigrants in the U.S. workforce who are considered undocumented. Of those 6.7 million individuals, an estimated 525,000 work in the Agricultural sector, or roughly 50% of the hired farm labor. Iowans, and people across the country, depend on the hard work of these immigrants to harvest our crops and provide food for our tables.

Kim’s opponent, Steve King, has a long history of making racist statements. He has argued that white people have contributed the most to society. In 2013 he voiced his objection to the DREAM Act by claiming that the most of the undocumented immigrants who would benefit “weigh 130 pounds and they’ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’ve been hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.” He has defended his placement of a confederate flag on his desk despite the fact that more Iowans fought (per capita) in the Civil War than any other state. To fly that flag is a disgrace to their sacrifice.

It is clear that Kim Weaver would not just represent the Democratic Party. She would represent all Iowans and bring our progressive values to Washington D.C.

Kim Weaver is the Democratic opponent for Republican incumbent Steve King in Iowa’s fourth congressional district.